Surviving The Last Days Of Summer

We may be heading toward the last days of summer, but these always tend to be the hottest weeks of the year. Seriously, never underestimate the power of September. It just has a way of cranking things up to eleven. That is why it’s so important you start ramping up your defenses, preparing for yet more record breaking temperatures, huge thunderstorms and, yes, bug invasions (which have to be the worst of all).

So, with the hardest punch of summer yet to land, now is the time to make sure you and your family can survive the rest of summer, and here is how you can do that.

Give Your AC Another Once Over

You may well have given your air conditioning unit a quick dusting off before the first of June knocked on your door but, after a few months of working over time, it is time for you to send a little TLC this way once again. This isn’t just because your unit could now be burning through energy just to perform at average levels, but also because it may not be cooling your home down anywhere near the level of awesomeness it should be. This is not good because your A/C is a big part of weatherproofing. As such, your first job should be to replace the air filter. That is the easiest and most effective way to bring it back into the land of the living. Once you’ve done this, then your next job should be a quick tidy up of the vents, exhausts, and any dirt that may be clinging to the outside. Voila, your unit should be working at its very best. If not, well, it could be time to call in a specialist repair company. It could also be time to adjust the temperature you are aiming for. Even adjusting the thermostat by one degree could make your unit run much more smoothly.

Your Home Needs Purifying

After three months of sunny weather and warmer climes, your home is probably housing a few nasties, by which we mean a lot of pollution, which is why you should consider some of the air purifiers at acpulse.com. If you are wondering what one of these is, well, to put it simply, they are a device that removes contaminants from the air. How do these contaminants get in your air? That depends on your lifestyle, but your air conditioning unit can circulate bacteria and dust, your pets can also add to the air pollution, while other things like pollen, dust mites, viruses, and herbicides can all make life a little worse for your body. That is why getting an air purifier is so worth it for you and your family; it will make you all that smidgen healthier. We run on oxygen, so it makes sense we’re chowing down on the best oxygen we can.

Start Checking Your Home For Leaks

Your air conditioning unit – and air purifier – are only going to work as efficiently as your home lets them. You see, if there are leaks in your home then all that hard work is going to be in vain because that cool, pure air is just going to slip out the cracks. Of course, you could call up a professional service and have them do a thorough check of your house to see where the major gaps are, but this service can cost a fair chunk of change. Luckily for you, it is a fairly simple task and one that can be done on a DIY budget. The first place to start is with the leaks in your windows and doors. These are always the major culprits, but they can be quashed quite quickly with a bit of silicone caulking and weather stripping. If you have no idea how to do this, then why not revert to the place we all secretly go and look at dummies.com. The other thing you could then do is add some shutters or blinds or roller shades; anything that will help keep your home that little bit cooler and allow your AC and purifier to work that little bit easier. Anyway, moving away from the windows, the other big culprit most people have to do battle with is the attic and basement. These two areas of the home just need to be insulated. Period. You may have done this six years ago, but insulation gets compacted over the time, and that means it starts forming gaps and that is what you want to address sharpish. And last but not least, pipes and ducts. Check these because there is usually gaps around these that can be dealt with.

You Shall Not Pass, Bugs

Even the palest of people, the kind that get burned by the light in their fridge, will tell you that bugs are the worst thing about summer. Wasps, roaches, ants, whatever. Bugs are just horrendous little things that can make your home an absolute misery to live in. The question is, how do you stop this minute beasts from running amok. Well, for starters, you can make sure everything is properly sealed, caulked and weather stripped. Yup, all that energy saving stuff has the added bonus of halting bugs in their tracks. So, if you hadn’t done this before, then do it now and then, once you have, set to and spray some pesticide around your home. Go around the perimeter, do the skirting boards, the sinks and bath and even your doors. This is what we like to call creating a bug barrier. Just make sure you read all the health warnings on the back of each product first and make sure you are getting one that suits your home environment. If you have pets or children then you will want to extra special care in your choice of sprays or, if you fancy, then you can make your own repellent out of natural ingredients. That has to be your safest option, and you’ll get more satisfaction out of it all too.

Now that you are armed with this information you are ready to go and make a few changes around your home and protect yourselves from that last onslaught of summer. Like we said, it only takes a few tweaks here and there and you will succeed in living a home life of luxury.